


Retrouvailles

by sleepydanceur



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Fae & Fairies, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Smut, Wood Fae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 18:50:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4846466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepydanceur/pseuds/sleepydanceur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wood Fae!AU 'The humans ride in swiftly and without warning, sending the crowd of fae scattering frantically into the bushes and behind trees to hide themselves away.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Retrouvailles

**Author's Note:**

> This was honestly just an excuse to write more Taekai making out. And Taekai a wood fae. Yes.  
> Inspired by their Gorgeous [ wkorea photoshoot](http://taekai.tk/post/124307715112/taekai-for-wkorea) ;♥;
> 
>  
> 
> _Retrouvailles {French}: The joy of reuniting with someone after a long separation._

The rising afternoon sun brings with it the sudden thundering hooves of incoming horses trampling into the clearing. The humans ride in swiftly and without warning, sending the crowd of fae scattering frantically into the bushes and behind trees to hide themselves away.

Jongin manages to yank Soojung back behind a tree just as another great horse gallops right past them.

“They’re not supposed to be here,” Jongin wheezes in shock, his back pressed against the tree trunk. “How did they even find this place, they–”

“We have to go,” Soojung cuts in. She tugs him along with her by the wrist, running towards the cluster of elders heading for the safe house.

“No wait, Taemin– he went to get water–” Jongin skids to a stop, straightening up to raise his head high. He can feel Taemin’s strong presence far away, somewhere by the fringe of the trees bordering the other end of the large clearing.

“Soojung, we need to go get him.”

“Jongin, he’ll be fine, there’s no time–” another horse races past them just as they leap behind a tree. “We need to hide.”

“We can’t just leave him–” he tries to yank his hand away, desperately trying to find out exactly where Taemin is but there’s too much noise and confusion.

“Jongin, you’re gonna get yourself killed!” Soojung latches on to his arm again, pleading with him. She looks terrified. 

Jongin’s heart is in his throat; she’s right. More than that, he risks exposure; getting caught means putting everyone else in danger including Taemin. 

Nodding, Jongin grabs her hand properly and matches her pace as they keep running, trying to stay out of sight and avoid the men on their horses.

The familiar knot of roots at the base of the oak tree finally appears up ahead and Jongin waves his hand out quickly, coaxing the roots to pull apart and bring the opening into sight. They waste no time, leaping right into the opening just before the roots wind together again behind them.

The enlarged room inside is spacious and far bigger than it looks from the outside, but it’s already crammed with the rest of the fae hiding away here. Even the elders look shaken, despite their usual composure. 

Soojung wheezes out a sigh, her shoulders drooping as she leans back against the wall of the tree, looking drained.

“What are they even _doing_ here?” she wonders aloud, frowning anxiously. Jongin sees the way she scans the cluster of people with them, desperately searching. His heart drops when he follows her eyes around the room too; her sister, Jessica, isn’t here.

Jongin swallows thickly but says nothing. He’d caught a flash of sharp silver by the human’s side when he thundered by on his horse, seconds after Jongin had crushed himself behind a tree. There must be a war brewing up North.

Leaning his head back, he flattens his hands back against the wall. The tree feels alive under his palms, enhancing the push of his senses outside the tree walls. It doesn’t take long, just a few moments of feeling around before he finds Jessica’s presence. It’s slightly muted but she’s not too far from where they are. Soojung can feel her too, but she doesn’t look any less anxious.

“Hey,” he murmurs, leaning beside her and taking her hand again. He squeezes softly. “It’s like you said, right? They’ll be fine.”

He swallows tightly, wishing he could believe that more himself. Holding on to the steady touch of Taemin’s presence, Jongin sinks to the ground and tugs Soojung down with him. 

They’ve been driven into the shelter and protection of the trees before, spending a few nights, sometimes even a week when a rough storm passes or when the wolves come hunting too close.

This, though. This has never happened. It’s likely that they’ll be cooped up in here for a lot longer than they’re used to this time. 

The tree will take care of them, just as it always has. There’s nothing left to do except sit and wait.

 

The elder returns looking more shaken than Jongin has ever seen him. Kangta had risked a trip outside the tree the next morning, trying to gauge the situation. He doesn’t bring back any good news. The humans are spread out everywhere, setting camp right in their clearing. There’s no sign of the other fae, most likely keeping themselves hidden away just like they are.

“It’s not safe to leave the tree,” Kangta tells them all, a frown creasing his forehead. “They’re too close and there’s too many of them. We’d all be caught in seconds.”

Soojung sighs, kneading her temples with her knuckles. They’re all anxious about being cooped up in here, with nothing but a tree wall separating them from the danger outside. Jongin feels a probe somewhere in the back of his mind, sending a spark of warmth in his chest. Smiling, he reaches back at Taemin’s presence, holding on to his steady reassurance and breathes a little easier. Jongin turns to squeeze Soojung’s shoulder and she manages a small smile.

 

On the fifth day, Jongin jerks awake in a cold sweat. Instinctively, he pushes his senses out through walls the way he’s been doing since they’ve been in here, reaching out for Taemin’s presence.

He comes up empty. The sudden hollowness from the other side ricochets back like a punch in the ribs, knocking the air out of his lungs. His skin prickles, feeling the the tips on his fingers go cold and numb. Jongin tries, again, pushing as far as he can, clawing past the dead silence. The emptiness keeps lashing back like the burning crack of a whip, slashing harder and harder the more he tries; he still can’t find Taemin.

He can’t be–

Wild with panic Jongin pushes harder, over and over until his head is splitting with the exertion, groping in the darkness and coming back with nothing.

Something shatters inside him and he reaches out for Soojung in his blind panic, shaking her awake. His hands are trembling; he can’t breathe.

“Mrgh…what is it, Jongin?”

Jongin opens his mouth but he can’t speak; his voice just cracks and fails, locked somewhere under the lump lodged in his throat.

“Jongin?” Soojung sits up, looking alarmed when she finally works her eyes open enough to look at him. “What’s–”

“I can’t feel him,” Jongin whispers, his eyes slipping out of focus. He barely feels the hot trail of tears spilling down his cheeks.

“What do you–”

“I– Taemin; I can’t _feel_ him anymore, it’s like he’s–”

Jongin’s voice breaks again and he flattens the heel of his hand into his chest, pressing into the knot of pain crushing him. He tries to talk again but the effort dissolves into a choked sob and he breaks just as Soojung reaches out for him. She cups his face firmly in her hands but he can feel the way her fingers tremble on his cheek. 

“Don’t say that, you don’t know that for sure!”

There’s tears streaming down her face too; she can’t feel him either. Still, she works on swiping Jongin’s tears away with her thumbs, murmuring and urging him to breathe. 

“But what if they _did_ catch him, Soojung, what if they–?” 

All that’s left of his energy bleeds out of his body. He can’t find the strength to hold himself up, pitching forward into Soojung’s shoulder.

She holds him there for what feels like hours, letting him sob into her shoulder while she rubs a soothing hand up his back. Jongin can’t really feel much past the heavy emptiness from the other end still puncturing a hole right through his chest. The ache spreads to every limb on his body, sparking a budding pain under every nerve until he’s so spent he passes out.

 

By the tenth day, they can’t feel anyone outside the tree walls at all.

 

“We’d have felt something though,” Jongin muses, feeling more and more like he’s grasping at straws. His body is all out of tears by now, leaving behind a numbness that settles heavily in all his limbs. “The ripple when fae di– we would have felt it.”

The paralyzing fear still prickles just underneath the surface; he can’t say the word without feeling like his throat is twisting in on itself. He’s never felt such a stark disconnect from Taemin before, feeling terribly lost and petrified at the endless void on the other side.

Soojung nods dully, hugging her knees into her chest. She’s pale, still in shock after Jessica slipped out of her senses the night before. There’s dried up tear tracks still streaking her cheeks.

“Maybe it’s–“ she swallows, clearing her throat before seeming to trust herself to speak again. “Maybe it’s the humans. Maybe they’ve messed up the link by being here. They’re not meant to be this close to our magic.”

Jongin presses a palm over his eyes, inhaling shakily. 

“I can’t– if he’s–” his voice wavers, trailing off into a dry sob and he bites his lip. Soojung shifts closer beside him, dropping her head onto his shoulder. His collar goes damp but he doesn’t move.

 

Kangta comes by and drops a bowl of fruit before them again, urging them to eat. Soojung pushes the bowl away when he leaves, and Jongin can’t stomach anything either. 

A scuffling sound catches his attention and he turns just in time to see the roots shifting slightly to make way for the squirrel that scurries in. It climbs right into his lap, settling down on his thighs and nibbles at the nut in its claws. 

“Hey there, little guy,” Jongin murmurs, stroking down its furry back gently.

Soojung peers down at it curiously, reaching a finger out to let it snuffle against it. Her brow suddenly furrows, leaning in to get a closer look before she exclaims loudly, her whole face lighting up. 

“This knot at the top of the nut!” she points frantically at the neat bow around the stem of the nut made from a slim blade of grass. She smacks Jongin’s arm excitedly as he tries to get a look at it. 

“Jess taught me how to do it. Jongin this must mean– she must be okay!”

Gaping, Jongin stares at her and then back down at the nut in the squirrel’s claws. His heart skips a beat, wondering desperately if he can even dare to hope, maybe–

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Soojung says, catching the way he fidgets anxiously. “This means he’s probably hiding it out like we are. I bet he’s with Wonshik and the others. I have to believe that.”

She squeezes Jongin’s arm and he nods, hanging on to her words and her hope because they’re all he has. He has to believe that too, as fragile as it is; there’s no way he can go back now, holding on to that shred of hope even if it crushes him. 

Soojung works on tying another knot below the other one on the stem and scoops the squirrel up into her hands. She whispers to it, pushing the nut back into his claws and it cocks its head intently, snuffling at her fingers again before scurrying away, out of the tree.

 

They’re almost slipping into the third week when the humans finally start to pack up their camps. They can hear the thundering hooves through the tree walls, sounding their horns as they ride away. It’s over in minutes and a thick silence falls over them again.

Jongin is on his feet and scrambling out through the opening at the roots before Kangta has even given the okay that it’s safe. Soojung calls out to him but he runs straight for the clearing where he can see the other fae starting to emerge, filtering out from behind the trees. No one strays too far from the shadows though, still too wary of exposing themselves too far. 

_Taemin_.

The crowd grows bigger as more and more fae come out of hiding, suddenly breaking into a run as some spot the loved ones they’d been separated from. Others are still searching calling out names over each other until it’s hard to pick one word from another in the chaos. 

Jongin keeps dodging past the clusters of people, desperately scanning every face he passes by. There’s too many; he’ll never find him this way. 

The air still feels clogged, distorted from the intrusion. It hasn’t cleared enough for Jongin to feel anyone through the connection. Raking a hand through his hair anxiously, Jongin tries to block out the distressed cries from the fae who still haven’t found their family and takes of running.

He skirts through the throng of people, breaking through the crowd and heads down for the river down at the bottom of the grassy hill. Barrelling past the trees, he just barely dodges the low hanging branches in the way, narrowly avoiding smashing into the trunks. He can hear the sound of the flowing water just before the river comes into sight. 

This is their spot. Jongin skids to a stop, stumbling from the momentum and scans the area, praying. If there’s one place he can always find Taemin, it’s here. 

“Please, please, please,” he begs under his breath, waiting. The silence hangs like a heavy curtain down here, stifling and crushing him under its weight. 

He catches the movement from the corner of his eye, whipping around to see another cluster of fae emerging from the thicket on the other side of the river, immediately streaking up the hill to find their own families. They disappear in seconds and Taemin is still nowhere to be seen.

No one else comes out through the trees across the river. Jongin stops breathing, feeling his knees growing weak under his weight.

“Jongin!”

Whirling around, Jongin turns to see Taemin sliding out from behind a tree further down along the bank on his side, sprinting right at him.

Jongin’s breath whooshes out in a long exhale and he takes off, tearing across the grass towards Taemin in relief.

They reach out for each other at the same time and slam into in an embrace that knocks the air out of Jongin’s lungs. He clings to Taemin tightly, burying his fingers in Taemin’s hair and holds him close. The contact burns when their auras smash together, the magic lingering on the surface of their skin almost electric as it collides, reconnecting after the sudden break.

Taemin holds on to him like Jongin’s his lifeline and Jongin clings back until he can’t feel anything past Taemin’s heaving chest against his own and the lock of his arms around him.

"Are you okay?" Jongin pulls away just enough to hold Taemin at arm's length, raking his eyes along Taemin’s face.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Taemin waves him away, pressing closer again to cup Jongin's face gently. His eyes are anxious, his face still pale with worry.

"Gods, I thought–," he whispers shakily, bringing their faces close. Jongin winds his arms around Taemin's waist, clinging to the back of his shirt and leans in to press their lips together. 

Taemin sighs into it, brushing his thumbs along the crest of Jongin's cheekbones; it's been _so_ long. Even with Taemin in his arms, holding him back, Jongin still feels terrified. 

Tilting his head, Taemin coaxes his lips apart, licking into Jongin's mouth; he kisses with a sense of urgency. He slides his fingers back into Jongin's hair, tugging lightly and Jongin keens, crushing their mouths together to kiss him deeper, just as desperate. 

He breaks off with a gasp, dipping down to kiss the sharp line of Taemin's jaw instead and mouths along the warm skin of his throat. He can feel the drag of Taemin's fingers along his scalp, sliding down to cup the back of his neck. Taemin squeezes lightly, a familiar gesture and Jongin brings his head up to kiss the corner of Taemin's mouth. He's beaming when Jongin pulls away, his eyes bright with sheer relief.

“Nearly came running when the link broke,” he smiles tightly, still holding onto Jongin. “Wonshik was this close to knocking me out.”

Jongin just pulls him closer, crushing him into his chest and clings to make sure he doesn’t disappear in his arms. 

"Hey," Taemin murmurs into the side of his neck, chuckling when Jongin squeezes tighter. "I'm not going anywhere."

Still, he hugs back just as tightly, rubbing a hand down Jongin's spine, needing the comfort just as much as Jongin does.

They stand there for a while, neither willing to let go of the other just yet. Jongin hears the first tinkle of music playing faintly in the distance. They’re celebrating. 

Shifting away, he tugs at Taemin’s hand, making to go join them. Jongin barely makes it one step when Taemin’s sudden weight against his back has him staggering off balance. 

“Carry me, then.”

Laughing, Jongin hooks his hands around his thighs and tries to run with Taemin piggybacking him. He manages a few wobbly steps before collapsing face first into the grass, with Taemin still on his back. 

“Let’s just stay a little longer,” Taemin whispers into his neck. 

He presses his lips against a spot just below Jongin's ear, sinking his teeth into his earlobe playfully. Jongin shudders, feeling the way Taemin’s smile stretches wider against his skin.

Taemin rolls him on his back, fitting himself against him and kisses him, tender and soft. Chuckling, Jongin hooks his elbow around Taemin's neck, keeping him close to kiss him back lazily. Taemin pinches his side, leaning back just enough that Jongin has to arch his neck to reach him. Their lips just barely brush together before Taemin pulls away again.

Huffing, Jongin falls back against the grass. Taemin smiles and kisses his chin instead, moving up to pepper his face with sloppy kisses until Jongin's laughing and wriggling underneath his weight.

Burying his fingers in Taemin's hair, Jongin tugs him in to kiss him properly, licking into his mouth with a quiet sigh. The suffocating fear locking his limbs finally starts to melt away under the soft warmth of Taemin's lips and the gentle pressure of his palms. 

Pushing his knee in comfortably between Jongin's thighs, Taemin skitters his fingers up under the hem of his shirt, sliding them along his skin. Jongin shivers into the kiss at the cool touch, and Taemin kisses his lower lip apologetically.

“Taemin,” Jongin whispers against his lips, pressing another kiss to his mouth. Taemin hums distractedly, dipping down to kiss him again, and Jongin nearly forgets what he wants to say.

“When’s the last time you bathed?” he manages to gasp in between kisses, clutching at Taemin’s hair.

Taemin twists to look at the river over his shoulder, grinning when he turns back and leans down to graze his teeth lightly over the tip of Jongin’s nose.

“Already forgotten what I look like naked?” he snickers, inching in to kiss Jongin. Jongin arches his neck to meet him but Taemin pulls away just before their lips touch, grinning as he gets to his feet in seconds.

He’s already thrown his shirt off by the time Jongin catches up to him, working at the strings of his pants. He’s mesmerized by Taemin’s skin for a moment, watching the way the thin sheen of magic shimmers under the sunlight. 

They leave their clothes and shoes in a pile on the grassy bank. Jongin dips his toe in the water tentatively, testing out the temperature.

Taemin isn’t looking at his face when Jongin turns back to him;, catching the way his eyes wander along the planes of Jongin’s body instead. There’s a hint of awe in his expression when he meets Jongin’s eyes again. Smiling softly, he reaches out to set a hand on Taemin’s waist, sliding down to press his thumb into the jut of his hipbone. Taemin’s smile widens, a familiar glint of mischief in his eyes as he takes Jongin’s hand into his own.

“Together?” he asks. Taemin yanks him forward with him without waiting for a reply, jumping right into the icy river water.

Jongin surfaces, spluttering and yelling while Taemin roars with laughter just a few feet away. Shaking his wet hair out of his eyes, Jongin wades in closer quickly and leaps on him, pushing his head down to dunk his face into the water. His laughter is short lived when Taemin retaliates, tickling his sides to distract him and escapes his hold.

Jongin splashes him one more time before sinking into the water with a sigh, dipping down till it’s right up to his chin. He revels in the cool, soothing feeling of the water against his skin. It’s been too long since he’s bathed in something that wasn’t the trickles of water the tree had sent dripping down from the branches and leaves above. 

Taemin drifts closer lazily, the tips of his fingers ghosting along the length of Jongin’s arm where he’s letting it float freely in the gentle current. Hooking his feet around the back of Jongin’s thighs, he brings them close together again and anchors himself with a hand on Jongin’s shoulder.

Jongin winds his arms around Taemin’s waist, holding him steady and noses at his chin. Taemin’s fingers are cold when they touch his face, tracing the line of his jaw and softly pushing his wet hair out of his face. He thumbs at Jongin’s cheekbones, sliding the tip of his finger down the bridge of Jongin’s nose before settling on his lower lip. Jongin kisses it lightly, and Taemin pulls his hand away to bring their lips together, pressing closed mouth kisses against his lips.

“I missed you,” he breathes, in a rare moment where there isn’t a smile playing on his lips. There’s more, but Jongin doesn’t need to hear it to know. 

The dip between Taemin’s brows deepens for a fraction of a moment, just barely creasing his forehead. Jongin tips his chin up to brush his lips along his brow, kissing his closed eyelids, wanting his bright smile back. It’s hard to forget the fear and the pain of his own grief despite it, thankfully, being short lived. He tamps down the memory, letting the warmth of having Taemin in his arms override anything else. 

“I’m right here,” he murmurs, mouthing at Taemin’s cheek. Taemin’s legs squeeze into his sides, winding his arm around Jongin’s neck and pulls him in again. His tongue is hot when he dips it into Jongin’s mouth, curling around his own and kisses him so deeply that Jongin’s gasping for air when they break off.

His whole body feels flushed, even in the cold water. His cock stirs to life, hardening quickly. Taemin’s own erection presses against Jongin’s stomach where they’re pressed together.

“Touch me,” Taemin breathes into his ear. His pupils are blown wide when he pulls back, silently urging and clouded over with want.

Swallowing, Jongin tightens his grip around Taemin’s thighs and wades back towards the grassy bank. He just barely staggers out of the water before he’s pushing Taemin down into the grass, fitting himself over Taemin’s body. 

Holding himself up on his elbow, Jongin wraps a hand around Taemin’s cock and tugs, dipping down to drink in Taemin’ moan. He breaks off with a hiss as Taemin curls his own fingers around Jongin’s cock, pumping him into full hardness. 

Taemin cants his hips up, trying to add to the friction and tugs at Jongin’s hair, groaning at each stroke. Growing impatient, he hooks his ankles around Jongin’s knees and flips them around, fitting himself flat on top of Jongin this time. 

Jongin laughs breathlessly as Taemin pins his hands down above his head, pressing them into the grass as he ruts against him hungrily. They meet in another kiss, messy and whimpering into each other’s mouths.

He cries out when Taemin pushes in, folding him in half with his arms hooked around Jongin’s knees.

“Let me know” Taemin whispers, stilling for a moment to let him adjust. Jongin nips at his lip and clenches around him. 

Groaning, Taemin breathes out a laugh and obliges him, rolling his hips, slowly and torturously.

Jongin throws his head back with a moan and his breath hitches when Taemin grazes his teeth along his bared neck. Gasping into his throat, Taemin picks up the pace, grinding in deeper and Jongin cries out, balling his fists in the grass. 

He comes when Taemin reaches down to press his thumb into the crown of his cock, arching off the ground and whimpering into the hollow of Taemin’s throat. Taemin fucks him through the aftershocks, until he finally comes with a choked moan.

Slumping down beside him, Taemin rolls into his side with a content sigh. Jongin finds his hand, pressing a kiss in the centre of his palm before lacing their fingers together.

He feels a shiver wrack up his spine, still cold after their swim though the sun is warm. Clutching Taemin closer against him, Jongin tucks his face into the crook of his neck. He can feel Taemin shake with laughter, even as he wraps an arm around Jongin’s waist. 

They nearly fall asleep like that, curled into each other, but the music in the distance only grows louder, as though calling for them.

“I guess, we should get back,” Taemin says, pulling away from Jongin’s hold. He grunts, sitting up to reach for their bundle of clothes and Jongin immediately misses his warmth. “They’re probably wondering where we are by now.”

Jongin sits up next to him, closing his eyes and tries pushing his senses out. The link is still distorted but he can feel the muted connection breaking through. 

“Soojung’s pissed,” he snorts, feeling her presence smack him lightly on the chest. She’s anxious too, desperate to see Taemin.“I ran off the second the humans left.” 

Taemin can feel her too, looking fond as he pulls his shirt on over his head. Threading their fingers together again, Taemin swings their joined hands between them as they start making their way up the hill. His smile is back, the worried lines marring his forehead finally fading away. Jongin can barely tear his eyes away as they walk. 

“What?” Taemin asks, catching Jongin in the act. 

“Nothing.”

He squeezes Taemin’s hand and smiles back.


End file.
